HMX is a custom harmonic distortion designed to emulate the sweet, thick tones often associated with 1960s tube designs, whilst Audient’s brand new variable British transformer saturator, IRON instantly adds sparkle, replicating the coveted transformer ‘zing’ of British audio in the 1970s - both giving new dimensions to a recording.

“Not only does ASP800 boast an incredible feature set, Audient is one of the only companies to offer custom transformer saturation at this price point,” explains Tom Waterman, Audient’s technical director. “It’s the perfect addition to your existing setup, offering eight additional Class-A inputs, making it ideal for recording drums - or if you simply need more channels.

“As with all mic pres across the Audient range, these are the same design as those found on the flagship ASP8024 console designed by David Dearden. Audient is certainly known for its natural & open mic pres, but that doesn’t mean we don’t understand the importance of adding colour,” he adds, highlighting the unit’s ‘Retro Channels’.

Key features also include pristine Burr-Brown A-D converters, ADAT connectivity, a Word Clock input and balanced analogue line outputs - all packed into a convenient, 1RU rackmount.

With a $799 MAP and further details - including videos - available on the Audient website, ASP800 provides eight of the best-priced mic pres on the market.